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Zipcar Revs Up Car Sharing in Palo Alto

Partnership with City of Palo Alto put Zipcars in city-owned parking lots, making getting around in a car more sustainable, cost effective and convenient

Aug 27, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (August 27, 2014) – Zipcar and the City of Palo Alto have partnered to expand car sharing in the city with the addition of 10 new Zipcars at four city-owned parking facilities within the Downtown Parking Assessment District. Zipcar currently has more than 50 vehicles on the campus of Stanford University, where it has operated since 2011, and more than 1,400 vehicles in the greater Bay Area region.

A wide range of vehicle types are available, including a fuel efficient Toyota Prius Hybrid, Volkswagen Passat, Ford Focus Sedan and Hyundai Elantra among others. The cars have designated parking spots located at the Civic Center Garage, Lot H, Lot K, and Lot N lot for convenient pick-up and return. Zipcar offers an affordable and convenient option for people who do not own a car, those that own one vehicle and occasionally need access to a second vehicle, or those who need access to a type of vehicle different from their own.

“With continued success and a strong Zipcar membership base at Stanford University, our expansion into the downtown Palo Alto area gives our members even more access to a sustainable, convenient and cost-effective transportation option,” said Zipcar San Francisco General Manager, Michael Uribe. “These new locations make Zipcar even more convenient and accessible to residents and students, which will help reduce demand for parking and overall congestion in the city.”

Zipcars can be reserved by members via the Zipcar smartphone app for Android and iPhone, online at www.zipcar.com, or over the phone. Rates in Palo Alto start as low as $8.50 per hour and $74 per day (24 hours) and include gas, insurance and 180 free miles per day. More information and membership rates are available at www.zipcar.com/2014paloalto or on twitter @zipcarssfbay.

“Car sharing services like Zipcar are an important component of the City’s overall efforts to address the increasing traffic and parking issues in the area,” said Palo Alto City Mayor Nancy Shepherd. “Our partnership with Zipcar supports our goals of reducing traffic and carbon emissions by providing an alternative to car ownership for commuters and residents.”

Employees of local businesses throughout Palo Alto will benefit from Zipcar’s presence through the Zipcar for Business program that offers discounted driving rates Monday through Friday. This program helps business members save money, meet environmental sustainability goals and reduce parking requirements by providing their employees with access to Zipcars for business needs and other uses.

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About Zipcar

Zipcar, the world's leading car sharing network, has operations in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain and Austria. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for smart, simple and convenient solutions to their urban and campus transportation needs. Zipcar is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CAR), a global leader in vehicle rental services. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.